In a Different Place, a Different World
by Uchiha Yukime
Summary: In one world Uzumaki Naruto died as he lived, and yet, in a different world Naruto was still just a child hated by Konoha. Will these two worlds have the same fate in store for the young boy? Or can Naruto have a better life in the second? And what does the Uchiha clan have to do with this? Maybe, just maybe, the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki will have a better childhood alongside Sasuke.
1. Chapter 1

"_Someone once asked me what a ninja was. My sensei told me that a ninja is one that endures." –Uzumaki Naruto_

* * *

_Prologue_

A person's life can be changed by even the slightest of disturbances; the path of life is never set in stone, unlike what many humans may like to think. The lives of mortals are not toys to be thrown aside by destiny's childish whims, no, lives are precious. It is neither destiny nor fate that decides how a life is lived, but rather, it is the person that makes their own path. In another place, another world, a life will be lived differently than in this world. And perhaps, that is the greatest consolation anyone can have – even if they will never know it. And that is the root of the matter, is it not?

For in this world, the fate of Uzumaki Naruto has been sealed with the Fourth Great Shinobi War. He died a hero. One that was respected and loved; he had finally earned from the village that he loved what he had most wanted, the recognition he had so often sought in his youth. Even in his last moments of life Naruto had sacrificed himself for the sake of his friends, that even covered in his own blood he still had a smile on his face while looking at the people that had become more than just friends, they were _family_. That even when he could feel his body shutting down because of the emptiness that filled him without the Kyuubi, he was happy, happier than he could ever remember being.

"Baa-chan… don't cry, Konoha's Hokage should be stronger than that."

"Naruto! You can't die, just stay with me a bit longer, just a bit more. I'll fix you up in no time and you're be back doing missions again. Remember your dream! You said you would be the one to take the Hokage hat from me, you told me you would be the one to become the next Hokage. The Rokudaime Hokage of Konoha!" Tsunade was working furiously, using every bit of medical knowledge as she tried to stem the flow of blood pouring out from her little brother.

Towering over the kneeling woman were what remained of Konoha's rookie 11, watching with despair in their eyes as yet another person they had known since they mere children was dying in front of them. They all had somehow managed to lived through the bloodiest parts of the war; they had each loss at least one person they had loved, and even now, at the very end of the war they were once again force to see another loved one die. Sasuke moved forward, Sharingan spinning rapidly as he imprinted the image of the last moments of perhaps the only person he could ever truly call his friend. He kneeled on the other side of the blond shinobi, gently allowing his pale fingers to run through the soft blond hair that was matted with blood.

"Dobe…how could you have let it come to this? You lived even though I had tried to kill you so many times, and you even brought me back to Konoha…you saved me…." The Uchiha closed his eyes briefly, trying to keep even a silver of control over his raging emotions. "If anyone should be dying, it should be me,"

Sasuke opened his eyes again, the Sharingan shining brightly in the darkness, "after all, I was the one that betrayed Konoha, the one that vowed to bring the destruction of the Hidden Leaf, and yet….even after all I have done, I'm not the one bleeding to death."

Naruto chuckled, the action causing blood to trickle down the corners of his mouth, and he smiled so softly, so gently, that for a moment everyone was reminded of the smiles that parents would give to their unruly children, a smile filled with unending kindness and understanding. By then Tsunade had stopped trying to heal Naruto, she knew with a certainty that only came once in a person's lifetime that there was no going back for Naruto; that it was truly the end for the boy she loved like a brother. _It's for the best Tsunade._ Her mind whispered words she didn't want to hear, but she knew they ranged truer than any other words she had ever heard.

_Don't you see you old fool? He's tired. Tired of the burden that came with being a jinchuuriki, of the sorrow he had always carried since his childhood, of everything that was his life. All Naruto wants is to rest, to rest his weary body and soul and to never have to fight again. He wants to join his parents in the place beyond life, wants to feel the love of a mother and a father that he never felt in life. Would you really deny your brother the chance to rest? Are you that selfish?_

Holding one of Naruto's hands in her own, Tsunade grasped it tightly, fearing that if she weakened her hold for even a single moment death would steal her brother away even faster. _Yes, I guess you really are selfish enough to stupidly try to hold back Naruto…_

"Sasuke...I think you more than anyone else deserves a second chance at life. What you had to live through... is something I can never fully understand. Do you remember what you asked me all those years ago, do you teme?"

Sasuke had to smile slightly at the insult; he hadn't heard it in a long time. _It's been far too long, don't you agree Sasuke?_

The Uchiha shook his head, "I asked you a lot of questions, one of them being why you loved orange, speaking of which, you never did answer me, did you dobe?"

_Yes, I suppose it's been too long since the days of being mere genin…_

The orange clad shinobi only shook his head in mirth, that even during a moment like this he and Sasuke were still able to insult each other as if they still genin under their sensei's control. Naruto wasn't the only one that was fascinated by the strangely familiar scene, everyone else looked upon the two shinobi and saw not the Uchiha traitor and Konoha's dying war hero. No, what they saw was a younger Sasuke and Naruto, the ones that had yet to walk down the paths they did and the ones free of all the bloodshed their older counterparts were covered in. It was so _normal_; something that the two shinobi had always done back in their childhoods that it was practically a sight that brought tears to the rest of the shinobi.

"I love orange because it's such a cool color! Admit it teme…you're just jealous that I have discovered the awesomeness that is orange before you!"

The Uchiha only responded by gently flicking a finger at the blonde's forehead. Conveying without words of what exactly he thought of Naruto's opinion on the subject. Sasuke frowned, before resuming running his fingers through the less matted hair. "But in all seriousness, what did I ask you?"

Naruto sighed contently before answering, "You asked me if I knew what it felt like to lose family," He lowered his head before continuing, "Back then I did not understand your pain, but now I do…"

The dark-haired shinobi didn't like where this conversation was heading at all. "Dobe, stop. You don't have to give me an answer to that question. I think we can all agree that I really needed sense knocked into me like you did with Neji and Gaara."

Soft mutters met Naruto ears as one by one the others all agreed to Sasuke's statement. "No, no…Sasuke, I finally understand what you felt back then, if it was anything like losing Ero-sennin or Iruka…it's a pain I don't think I could have handle when I would have still been at the Academy."

Sasuke wanted to say something, anything to get the sad, lost look off the blonde's features that weren't meant for such an emotion. The blond shinobi had a face that was made to be smiling and cheerful because that was just the type of person the dobe was. As he was about to speak, Naruto ceased to look so sorrowful and instead a pained expression took over his features. His body shook violently as harsh coughs escaped the blonde's mouth, causing more blood to spill onto his clothes. Tsunade immediately used one of her medical jutsus that eased Naruto's pain somewhat.

Naruto nodded in thanks before speaking once more, "I think…It's almost over for me." A bittersweet smile crossed his face before disappearing as quickly as it came.

"Sasuke, do me a favor won't you teme?"

The Uchiha nodded, if doing something for the blond would ease his friend's soul than he would do it, he could do that much at least for Naruto.

"Live your life teme. Don't get hung up over my death, got it? I know you; you will do something stupid like brood every single second of every day if you're left to your own thoughts. All I ask is that you live, allow yourself to find happiness this time around, okay?" Naruto looked at Sasuke with pleading blue orbs, the same eyes that had for the longest time been filled with a happiness that had never truly been genuine, but now they were. Now as Naruto lay dying, surrounded by what remained of his precious people, he finally felt what was called genuine happiness, and he was never more grateful than at the moment.

Sasuke nodded, even as Tsunade let fall the tears that she could no longer hold, as the rest of the shinobi moved even closer to Naruto, saying without words that they wouldn't let Naruto died alone to be forgotten. Naruto smiled; it was a smile they had never seen before on the blonde's face, a smile that was free of any hidden pain and sorrow, one that caused Naruto to appear younger than he truly was. With that smile Naruto looked like he was once again a child, one that hadn't yet seen the ugliness that war brought. It made the shinobi wonder, had Naruto ever looked as young as he now?

"Thank you, teme, baa-chan, everyone…" Here Naruto paused, the smile never fading, "I was afraid that I would die alone here, but I'm not, I'm going to die surrounded by everyone that I think as family. And for that, I'm so happy…So thank you, you all have made me so happy, so very happy…" Naruto shuddered, his chest heaving with the effort of breathing and speaking; and even throughout all this time the blood just kept pouring out from him, that even his Uzumaki longevity wasn't enough to grant him five more minutes of life. He didn't feel pain anymore, though he wasn't sure if it was due to his body's numbness or Tsunade's jutsu, but it didn't matter anymore, not anymore.

The coughing continued as the rest looked on with a fear that they knew all too well; the fear of losing a loved one. Tsunade was using jutsu after jutsu trying to stop the harsh coughs that kept escaping her brother, but it was all for nothing.

Giving one last smile that clearly stated it was the end; Uzumaki Naruto's closed his eyes and was still. Konoha's war hero was dead, lying broken amidst the remains of the cave that had served as Naruto's prison during the Kyuubi's extraction. And all around him were his precious people, the people that he had given his life for, the people that made it possible for him to die in peace. Sobs echoed all around, giving an outward release of the pain that clung to everyone that still remained alive. As dawn slowly broke through the clouds, it casted a ruby red glow upon Naruto, making him look as if he had inherited his mother's famous Uzumaki red hair.

And perhaps, in a different place, a different world, he might have.

* * *

**That's it for the prologue! If anyone is confuse, then just wait for the next chapter, it will clear up the questions that remain. So what did you think? Anything I should fix? Just leave me a comment and I'll try to fix whatever mistakes you guys find. I hope you enjoyed reading, and please come back and read the next chapter when it's posted! **


	2. Chapter 2

"_And so they fought.  
And so they laughed.  
Friends.  
And before they knew it,  
They were inseparable."  
― Masashi Kishimoto_

* * *

Chapter One: Childhood

The Village Hidden in the Leaves was known as the strongest of all the hidden villages, and it was also known as the kindest one, a fact that the other villages scoffed at, after all, a shinobi village shouldn't be known as kind, strong yes, but _kind_? But if you were to ask one child living in Konoha, one that was called Uzumaki Naruto, but was most often referred to as a demon and a monster, he would say the village was kind to everyone but _him_. And he would state this fact with a tired face and sadden expression, but slowly, as the days went by, the expression and words would become tingled with bitterness at the village, at the people, and most of all, at himself. Looks and whispers always followed him; the villagers seem to never be able to get through one day without jeering insults at Naruto. And the sad fact of all of this, is that Naruto was so use to it that he would be beyond surprise and a tad bit wary if he went through an entire day without someone, anyone, looking and speaking at him without hatred in their eyes and words.

Every day Naruto would spend hours upon hours looking at himself in the mirror, trying to see what exactly was wrong with him. After examining quite thoroughly his reflection he concluded that it was his hair that was the source of his problems. No one else in the entire village had hair like his, though that could be because he was an orphan, but the fact remains, his hair was the subject of a lot of hatred. Once a villager had yelled at him that he was laughing at Konoha by having the nerve to walk around with red hair.

"_You little demon-brat! How dare you walk these streets with hair that is dyed with the color of blood! This just proves that you aren't a child, you're nothing more than a monster!"_

That wasn't the only time his hair had been pointed out; even the children called him names because of his stupid hair color. _"My mom told me not to play with you. She said your hair brings bad memories to everyone. I just think you look like a tomato! An ugly tomato head, that's what you are!"_

Naruto held no fondness for his hair; but if anyone, be it an adult or child, called him tomato head they had another thing coming. Sighing, Naruto decided it was about time he got off his bed and started making himself some breakfast, if he didn't do it no one would. Dragging himself upright, Naruto sat for a few minutes just staring at his room. It was a fairly small room; the only furniture inside it was a small, dark red wooden table off to the right corner of the room, a wooden chair of the same color stood in front of it, and a normal-sized bed in the other corner of the room. The floor was made of wooden tiles that were a dark brown color, and the only window in the room gave Naruto an excellent view of the Hokage monument. Shifting the worn dark blue covers off him, Naruto stood up and made his way towards the bathroom.

Closing the door behind him, Naruto grabbed the set of clothes on top of the dryer and changed into them. Once done, he combed through his thick red locks as he stared at the mirror, a habit of his that he didn't think would ever go away. The mirror showed a small boy that looked to be about seven years old, short and slim; Naruto could be mistaken for a girl very easily. Having straight, long hair didn't help to correct that misconception at all; it only added fuel to the fire. Long bangs covered his eyes, and that was the way he liked it, if no could see his eyes, than no one would ever know how much the insults really hurt him. If someone was lucky enough to see Naruto's eyes, they would see slanted eyes that were a shade of blue that put the sky to shame with its brilliance. His skin tone was a tanned color, almost as if he spent the majority of his time out in the sun.

Naruto was wearing what he usually wore, a white shirt that had wide sleeves that covered his hands, a pair of dark blue pants, black shinobi shoes, and a light green short sleeved coat that reached his ankles. Having finished staring, Naruto left the bathroom and began his normal morning routine. Moving his way inside his kitchen, Naruto was soon making steamed rice and rolled omelets. Only the sounds of wooden chopsticks hitting a bowl of rice could be heard in the otherwise silent house. A sigh escaped Naruto, this was the reason he couldn't bear staying coped up inside his house for too long, it was far too quiet and reminded him that he was alone, always alone. Not feeling hungry any longer, the red-haired boy stood and left the dishes inside the sink before quickly leaving his house.

Once outside Naruto took a quick breath, as if to reassure himself that he was no longer inside. He lived in the part of the village that was somewhere no child should ever find themselves, the part that had buildings that had survived the fateful night of the Kyuubi's attack, and where no one wanted to live because all it did was bring up feelings of sorrow and fear. Making his way through the streets, Naruto saw merchants just beginning to open their stores, parents walking hand in hand with their children taking them to the Academy, and shinobi just hanging around with their comrades, and yet, no matter if they were children, parents, civilians, or shinobi, they all looked at him with the same cold disgust in their eyes. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Naruto lowered his head standing in the middle of a growing circle of angry people. Eventually it became too much for the redhead to handle and he ran as fast as he could, red hair trailing behind him, his destination: the park right next to the Academy.

* * *

The Uchiha compound was already half-empty by the time Uchiha Sasuke managed to wake up. As Sasuke walked down the hall towards the sounds that only his mother cooking could make, he wondered what he should do for the day. His elder brother had taken some time yesterday and trained him a bit, but Itachi had already left for his mission. His father was surely long gone, more than likely at the Uchiha Police station keeping the peace by doing the ever-present job of paperwork.

"Sasuke dear, come over here and have breakfast."

Sasuke was shaken from his thoughts as his mother motioned for him to take a sit at the table where there was already a hot plate full of rice and eggs waiting for him. As he savored his mother's home cooking, Sasuke decided he would hang around the park that was close to the Academy, that way if the Academy students practiced outside today he would be able to watch. Decision made, Sasuke quickly finished his breakfast before bidding his mother goodbye and leaving the house. Some of the Uchiha greeted him as he passed by, which he returned, before he walked out of the gates that guarded the Uchiha compound from intruders.

Walking through the streets Sasuke paid no mind to the villagers roaming around; he had to get to the park or else he might miss the students practicing, and that would have made this trip useless. And if there is something a Uchiha does not do, it's waste time on useless actions. Sasuke was nearing the Academy when he took notice of one of the strangest sights he had ever seen. A crowd of villagers were all standing in a loosely form circle, glaring at something that Sasuke couldn't make out through all the people. The Uchiha moved closer, he was curious as to what exactly had caused the normally peaceful and kind civilians to react so negatively. What he saw was not something that he had expected – nor did he like the sight that greeted his eyes.

A boy that appeared younger than Sasuke was standing inside the circle, obviously the cause of all the anger Sasuke could feel rolling off the villagers in waves. He had his head lowered, his long bangs covering his eyes, and his hands deep inside his green coat's pockets. But what made Sasuke paused was the boy's hair color, it was a bright red, the very same color that was part of the Uchiha clan symbol. The boy suddenly bolted towards the general direction of the Academy, long crimson locks trailing behind like a trail to be followed. The villagers began to disburse, muttering words that were best not repeated. Sasuke had never seen the villagers of Konoha, nor any of the shinobi, act so hatefully towards someone that wasn't an enemy of the village or something of the like, so that begs the question, who was that strange boy?

Coming to a decision, the Uchiha boy started to follow the red trail, determined to understand what the heck he had just seen. The red hair trailing in the air led Sasuke straight to his original destination, the park right next to the Academy. Hiding behind the closest tree next to him, Sasuke watched as the redhead stopped running and instead walked slowly towards a lone swing far away from where the other children played. The redhead sat on the swing, watching the other children with an expression that Sasuke had never seen on a person's face before. The closest Sasuke could compare it to was when one of the Uchiha members had fallen ill and everyone else had become more quiet and withdrawn. A slight shaking of the boy's shoulders showed the Uchiha that the redhead was crying.

Sasuke bit his lip; he didn't know what to do in the current situation he found himself in. On one hand the Uchiha could simply walk away and pretend he had never seen anything, yet that just made Sasuke feel so cruel to leave someone all alone in their misery. Letting out a sigh, Sasuke squared his shoulders before coming out of hiding. The other boy hadn't noticed him yet, that was good; it gave Sasuke more time to gather his courage. Stepping within the redhead's field of vision, the Uchiha cleared his throat, quickly getting the attention of the crying boy.

"Are….are you okay? Do you need a tissue or anything?" Sasuke quickly moved his eyes from the boy's face, shoving one of his hands inside his left pocket. Soon thrusting a white piece of cloth the Uchiha always kept in case he ever needed to clean his face in the general direction of the redhead.

Meanwhile, said redhead had no idea of what was currently happening. One minute he was having one of those rare moments when the villagers' hatred was enough to cause him to break down and cry, and now there was a strange boy he had never seen before offering something for him to dry his tears with. Shyly, the redhead took the white piece of cloth from the outstretched hand.

From the corner of his eye Sasuke saw the boy take the cloth gently from his hand before using it to dry the tears that remained on the boy's cheeks. A small smile tugged at the Uchiha's lips as he saw the boy be so gentle with a simple piece of cloth as if it were a valuable object.

After giving the redhead a few moments to collect himself, Sasuke returned his gaze upon the smaller boy. "So mind telling me what you did to make all the villagers so angry with you? I have never seen them so angry."

The redhead just lowered his head before softly replying, "I have no idea…they have always hated me for as long as I can remember."

He looked back up, pushing the long bangs back from his face. And that's when Sasuke finally caught a glimpse of the strange boy's eyes; they were a shade of blue that was so much more vivid and brighter than the sky itself.

The red-haired boy looked straight at the Uchiha's eyes before looking off to the side, "You should go back to your family, they wouldn't want you to be with me." He paused before continuing, "And…thank you." The redhead made to get away from the Uchiha, but Sasuke had already seen that move coming and instead, Sasuke grabbed the smaller boy's arm before harshly jerking the redhead towards him.

A startled yelp was heard from the redhead before he faced Sasuke once again, bangs pushed to the side so the Uchiha could see the burning anger at being treated to roughly.

"Who do you think you are?! You just can't go around grabbing people you don't even know!" The redhead was glaring at him as he spoke those words, but as soon as the last word left his lips, the smaller boy's blue eyes went wide with shock before his cheeks gained a light pink hue.

The redhead lowered his head, bangs once again hiding the beautiful blue eyes from the world. "I-I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to yell at you…it's just-you-I- you're the first person I have spoken to in months that I just, kinda, lost my temper…" The smaller boy bended his body to bow low to the Uchiha before finishing his statement, "Please forgive me, I know I have no excuse, but please don't punish me…please."

To say Sasuke was shock would be an understatement, one minute the other boy had been daring enough to yell at a Uchiha before the next minute he had suddenly become so shy and scared. Sasuke sighed, taking in the sight of the redhead bowing, before deciding on his course of action with the other boy. Kneeling so he was at the redhead's level, Sasuke gently put two of his fingers underneath the under boy's chin, pushing the boy's head to face him. Lifting his other hand, the Uchiha pushed back the red bangs before speaking.

"Don't do that, you don't have to bow to me. I'm Uchiha Sasuke, a member of one of the founding clans of Konoha. So what's your name? I can't keep thinking of you as the 'redhead' or 'smaller boy', now can I?"

All this Sasuke said with a gentle smile, one that only a child untainted by the prejudice of the world could make. That smile caused a wondering look to cross the redhead's face before a small smile lit up the smaller boy's face.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'm not part of any clan, and I don't have any family. So why do you want to know who I am?" The causal why that the redhead had spoken, as if speaking to a long-time friend instead of a complete stranger, caught both boys by surprise.

Recovering before Naruto, Sasuke allowed another smile to grace his face, one that held a tingle of Uchiha pride in it. The Uchiha stood up, motioning for Naruto to do the same. The redhead complied, a questioning expression on his face.

"It's simple really. I need to know the name of my friend, isn't that right Naruto?" Sasuke held out one of his hands, letting it stay still in between him and Naruto, waiting to see what the other boy would do.

Naruto stared at the Uchiha, stared at the honest expression on the other boy's face, and at the gentle smile that was direct at Naruto. He didn't know what to do, and yet, his heart told him to take the offered hand, to take this one chance and see what it would be like to have a friend. Decision made, the redhead stretched his hand out before clasping Sasuke's hand, a smile of complete happiness gracing the redhead's face for the very first time in his life.

And underneath that tree, next to the swing that Naruto had claimed as his so many years ago, Naruto gained something much greater than a simple swing. He gained a friend. At that moment in time, Naruto made a promise that he would keep, even if it killed him. He would protect the young Uchiha at all cost, he would make such his friend was as happy as he could possibly be. And it wouldn't be until many years later that Sasuke would realize just how much his simple words had affected the redhead that would become like a brother to him.


End file.
